Driving from London to Torquay and then Bath, does it make sense??

[BalksinLondon]

Looking for advice lovely mumsnetters. Divorced plus two teenagers and normally go back to Israel to see family in the summer. Impossible this year so trying a SW UK holiday for the first time ever! I hear it's beautiful but I am a bit anxious about making this little holiday work without support. Does it make sense to drive from London to Torquay on day one, stay overnight for 2 nights then go to Bath for another 3-4 nights? Or am I looking at a dozen hours in traffic , horrendous crowds , no place to eat or to hang out??? The news make everything sound like a nightmare 😅

Hi I don't think the distances are too great. However personally I'd go to Weymouth, rather than Torquay. There's a good beach and it's near Lulworth cove, Durdle Door and the rest of the Jurassic Coast. I'd probably do 3 or 4 nights there and 2 or 3 in Bath.

That sounds perfectly doable, OP. My DD and her partner have just driven from Edinburgh to York, Southampton, Penzance Bristol, the Lake District and home to Edinburgh - in 8 days! Visiting 3 sets of relatives plus a mini break in Cornwall.
Your itinerary sounds positively modest by comparison!

I agree with @Mistymountain that Weymouth would be better. The route up to Bath from there is nicer - you could stop off at Glastonbury. Torquay is not all that great, nice enough but not worth the extra drive west given that you only plan to be there for 2 nights.

Thanks much for the advice. The drive only worried me as I'm alone and the horror stories on the news make it seem as if UK holidays a nightmare and very difficult to handle. I'm sure it isn't true ..

Torquay is the only place in the South West wouldn't go to be honest. It's a dump. Distance wise you'll be fine. Can you travel later on a Sunday or on a weekday?

Thanks @HelplessProcrastinator but everywhere in Weymouth fully booked - people who actually know what they’re doing would have booked nice places months ago Would it make sense to spend the night at the hotel in Torquay that actually has space and then use our car to drive and explore the nicer places nearby?…

I've been hearing horror stories of people paying good money to stay in Cornwall and struggling to get restaurant bookings. I suspect Torquay has a lot more to offer. It has the added advantage of being on the railway (head up to Exeter on a rainy day). Dartmoor isn't too far away either.

You won't go hungry in Bath.

If you are at all worried about the drive up from Devon I would avoid the motorway around Bristol. Instead travel back via Glastonbury (which might appeal if you are into New Age stuff or fancy a walk up the Tor), Street (designer outlet centre) and Wells.

Bath will be very booked too, just to warn you. Why not try and find a cottage in rural Somerset? You can travel to places like Charmouth.or Weymouth for beach, then up to Bath for a day trip. Dunster castle is lovely. Lynton/Lynmouth. You might get some cancellations if you are flexible on location.

I wouldn't go out of my way to go to Torquay.

@BalksinLondon Would it make sense to spend the night at the hotel in Torquay that actually has space and then use our car to drive and explore the nicer places nearby?…

If you are going to drive all the way to Torquay anyway for those 2 nights then you can fill your one whole day there with stuff within Torquay - there's enough to do to have a nice day. My point was just that the level of nice day available in Torquay doesn't really justify the additional driving to get there from London, when equally nice days can be had much closer. But in the absence of any accommodation available closer, you won't have a miserable time. It's nice enough.

Thanks lovely ladies yes it's the horror stories about overcrowded places and no food that sorry me. I do wonder if people are just whingeing though. As a Londoner my idea of crowded means "having your face stuck in smelly armpit on the tube" and whenever I see pictures of beaches in Cornwall they seem completely deserted to me

I think nice enough sounds wonderful after the 18 months I just had thanks for recommendations on things to see en route, please keep them coming I managed to get a hotel reservation in central Bath so feeling pretty lucky about that ...

Each to their own! I live in Torquay, and whilst I would agree it is a town in transition (we have loads of 'cared for' children that we have to pay for. It consumes a major part of our budget which doesn't leave much for flower beds and the rest of the 'pretty -pretty ' stuff that makes other resorts look attractive.) What we do have though is generally good weather, fabulous views and a plethora of beautiful beaches. There are loads of places to visit from Kents Cavern - caves where prehistoric bones have been found, Cockington /Court which has a craft centre, a Zoo at Paignton (if that's a thing with you). Yes, there lots of empty shops (where isn't there?), yes there's been a lack of investment in the town but look beyond that at the positives. It really is a beautiful place to live - and to visit.

We had a holiday in Torquay in 2018 after feeling disillusioned about paying an arm and a leg for Cornwall and everywhere being so overcrowded. It was ... OK. There were certainly nice things to do and see eg the Caves mentioned above, zoo, model village etc etc. It's just that because it's not packed to the rafters with tourists in the same way that Cornwall is, the wonderful little bijoux delis and gourmet restaurants aren't there, everything is just a little more basic, but it's still good. it's hard to find a really good artisan bakery doing proper sourdough, first-world problems like that. There's nothing actually wrong with it, you just realise why Cornwall gets to charge the premium prices.

Hi

Just seen your post. We have just returned from a week in Bath with two teenagers (usually go abroad but couldn’t face it this year). Husband and I have been before but first time for boys, they loved it.

Great places to eat, you are spoilt for choice. We managed Thai, Japanese, Five Guys, and some brilliant independent cafes for great coffee and cake. Also not so crowded without the overseas tourists 😉

They enjoyed the Roman Baths and could actually see everything, due to social distancing. Def book a slot. We also dragged them on a free walking tour which they enjoyed in the end, followed by more food bribery.

We hired some bikes from TT Cycles in Bradford on Avon (left car there) and cycled into Bath (and back) on the towpath, nice and flat, then had lunch in Bath. Five guys (their choice) and ate in a lovely park.

On a wet day Tivoli Cinema was a great place to see a movie, had a bar and cafe so can order food and watch a movie. Win win.

We loved it, hope you have a great holiday.

@sandgroper thanks for the great tips! I just got back from Bath and agree with you it was absolutely wonderful. Great restaurants, I did book to make life easier in evenings but there are so many on offer that no chance of going hungry! We went to Clayton's Kitchen as a special treat for DS GCSE results, one of the best restaurants I've ever been to.
We also followed some of the walking tours around the area, the skyline tour was very beautiful and we welcomed the challenge of actually walking up hills as walking around London offers only flat terrain. Also drove to Bristol for a day, it was a real treat with a very good vibe and restaurants and scenery. All very easy and worked even in the rain. Would definitely recommend!!

And just to add finally it was easy enough to social distance, never as crowded as London and we felt very safe everywhere.

Great to hear you had a good time. Did you spend any time in Torquay as planned too?

So pleased you had a good time, it’s lovely to explore our great cities without the overseas tourists for a change!

Will make a note of Clayton Kitchens for when we return sometime.

Agree it’s more challenging with the hills than the flat terrain of London but It worked off all the great food we ate so was better for my waistline 😂

So glad you had a good time. I can't remember when it stopped raining, but I hope you had a couple of fine days.

Clayton's Kitchen has been serving up consistently good food for quite a few years now, though I do miss the rather rough and ready pub it used to be.

Chez Dominique and the Circus are good alternatives at a similar price point.